What are power banks made of?
Power banks take 10 things directly, among them lithium-ion cell, nickel, printed circuit board, solder, microchip and LED. Trace them back and you pass 67 made things on the way to 29 raw materials.
How power banks are made See it on the map
What goes straight in
- Lithium-ion cellat Sort the cells
- Nickelat Spot-weld the strips
- Printed circuit boardat Print and place components
- Solderat Print and place components
- Microchipat Print and place components
- LEDat Print and place components
- Copper wireat Wire board to cells
- Polycarbonateat Close the shell
- Aluminumat Close the shell
- Adhesiveat Close the shell
From the ground: 29 raw materials
- Nickel ore through nickel
- Crude oil through aluminum
- Coal through aluminum
- Water through adhesive
- Lithium brine through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate
- Spodumene through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate
- Cobalt ore through lithium-ion cell, cobalt
- Manganese ore through lithium-ion cell, manganese
- Iron ore through lithium-ion cell, manganese
- Natural gas through lithium-ion cell, manganese
- Copper ore through copper wire, copper
- Air through copper wire, copper
- Sulfur through nickel, sulfuric acid
- Silica sand through printed circuit board, fiberglass
- Limestone through printed circuit board, fiberglass
- Tin ore through microchip, tin
- Lead ore through solder, silver
- Silver ore through solder, silver
- Zinc ore through solder, silver
- Quartz through microchip, silicon wafer
- Gold ore through LED, gold
- Bauxite through LED, gallium
- Rock salt through polycarbonate, chlorine
- Trona through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate, soda ash
- Dolomite through lithium-ion cell, steel, magnesium
- Corn through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate, soda ash, carbon dioxide
- Timber through microchip, silicon wafer, polysilicon, metallurgical silicon
- Sugarcane through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
- Sugar beet through lithium-ion cell, lithium carbonate, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
Made along the way: 57 things
Metals 14
Chemicals and fuels 26
Synthetic graphiteSulfuric acidOxygen gasAmmoniaHydrogenPhenolPropyleneAcetoneCaustic sodaChlorinePetroleum cokeParaffin waxSoda ashEthyleneQuicklimeArgonNaphthaBenzeneMethanolNitric acidCarbon dioxidePropaneFormaldehydeHydrochloric acidTolueneCharcoal
Plastics and fibers 7
Electronics 8
Lithium carbonatePhotoresistSilicon waferGalliumIndiumPolysiliconMetallurgical siliconTrichlorosilane